Then with a crashThrough the chimney that night,Popped out BarackWith a smile of delight.

He promised reformTurning debt into wealth.The better plan may beTo pray for good health.

He raced through the chambers,Looking merry and drollGiving Dems sparkling diamondsTo the GOP – coal.

In a flash he was gone,And away sailed his sleigh.Why do most of us feelThis is not our best day?

***

I’m not opposed to figuring out a way to improve things, but I really have a problem with politicians telling doctors how to practice medicine. Somehow I keep hoping that the reform will involve prosecuting insurance companies under the RICO Act, then returning to the day when medical costs were a private matter between physician and patient.

That’s obviously not going to happen, so I think we need an amendment to the constitution that would require congressmen to have the same healthcare plan that they inflict on the rest of our country’s citizens. Maybe that’s what it will take to get our representatives and senators to address the issues in a more thoughtful manner.

Perhaps you missed the ostrich alert at the opening of this post. I try to minimize getting into the healthcare debate here, but access to doctors is something that affects us all. It doesn’t hurt to look at both sides of an issue occasionally. And I always post an alert first so that people can skip the post if they wish.

As someone who deals with RA every day, like it or not, and as someone who’s lost her health insurance through losing employment, the health care insurance reform issue is close to my heart. I’m lucky; because I’m a military veteran I’ve been able to turn to the Veterans Administration for my health care while I seek employment with health care benefits. But if I couldn’t have done that, I’d be in very, very bad shape right now. And many, many people in this country are in desperate straits at the moment because they can’t afford insurance or they’ve lost it through no fault of their own. Maybe they simply got sick — and were dropped like a hot rock by the HC provider they’d been paying premiums to for 20 years or more.

For that reason I think it’s important that we DO discuss the issue when we can. It’s important that we consider both sides of it, too, and not allow ourselves to become angry and strident, stupid and closed-minded. Our health care insurance in America is terribly broken. It really needs fixed, somehow, so that all Americans, regardless of income or health status, can get the care they need in a reasonable manner. In doing so we’ll only be joining the rest of the Western world. As the richest nation on Earth, we should be the engine driving this issue, not hanging onto the caboose with one hand.

Well, enough ranting. Thanks for posting the doc’s poem. I don’t agree with much of what he says in it, but it’s clever, he has talent and he speaks from a unique position of knowledge. I respect his opinion, and yours, and feel we’re all absolutely entitled to hold them.

Thank you, Wren. I knew from reading your blog that you and I have different perspectives on this. That shouldn’t mean that the topic can’t be discussed.

The best way to find a workable solution that satisfies everyone is to really listen to what those involved are saying and address their concerns. If the goal is simply to pass legislation, then run through whatever one party wants. However, if the goal is to improve a broken system, then I think it’s important to have those most closely involved in the system identify problems and make sure that those problems get fixed.

I don’t claim to have the answer. I just think that there are some problems not yet addressed that really need some attention.